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The conference commissioners will now present the various models of a four-team playoff to their members during their annual meetings in May and June.

Hancock said the proposal will go before an oversight panel of university presidents the last week of June. A final decision is expected by July 4. The new system would go into effect for the 2014 season.

Though the conferences still could reject the playoff proposals, that is considered unlikely, given their commissioners are endorsing the plans. The conferences will consider two to seven permutations of the playoff model. The Rose Bowl exception format will not be one of them, Hancock said. The current system of automatic qualifiers will not be part of the new format.

How the four teams are chosen, where the games will be played and how the revenue will be divided are substantial issues that still need to be decided. The thorniest issue is expected to be revenue distribution. Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson predicted the discussions would be "contentious."

To select the teams, the BCS could use the current BCS rankings formula, form a selection committee or elect another still-to-be determined option. Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said the immediate focus will be on "the where" and "the when" of the format. The selection process will be addressed once the format is decided.

Another hotly contested topic will be whether only conference champions would be allowed. The Southeastern Conference, whose members own the last six national titles, would have a hard time agreeing to that option, especially in wake of last season's all-SEC title game. Scott endorsed the idea of conference champions only but said there was no consensus.

The semifinals could be played using existing BCS bowls (Rose, Fiesta, Sugar or Orange), on campuses or at a neutral site. The commissioners also want the championship game closer to Jan. 1. "We want football to be a one-semester sport," Slive said.

It's expected that conference members will agree with their commissioners, but all involved cautioned nothing is certain until the process is complete. It's also reasonable to assume the SEC will follow their commissioner's lead.

"I've been talking about this for four years, and I'm still the commissioner," Slive said. Given that Slive has been a longtime proponent of the model being considered, he said "it's somewhat satisfying" that the tide turned in that direction, albeit four years late.

So what brought college football to this point? Did it have anything to do with the monopoly the SEC has had on the crystal ball trophy? "I don't know," Slive said. "That's something you have to ask them."

Hancock said the sport is simply being responsive to those in the stands and watching on TV. "They are listening to fans," Hancock said. "They get it."

At the conclusion of the 2013 season, there will have been 16 years of some form of the BCS system. For many, it won't be missed.

Even college football officials seemed giddy that they could finally utter that once unspeakable word. "We've agreed to use the 'p' word," Scott said with a laugh.